NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A sweaty thief was arrested after he allegedly tried to snatch a woman's purse inside the AT&T Yellow Pages office on Long Wharf, police said.
At 3:53 p.m. Officers Joe Roberts and Robert Clark responded to the office at 545 Long Wharf Drive (4th Floor) to investigate a robbery. Employees reported a struggle with a robber over a stolen purse from the cubicle of one of the staff and provided the description of the fleeing man.
According to police, the suspect hid in a cubicle and when the victim entered he grabbed her purse but the victim was able to wrestle it from him. The suspect ran and hopped on one elevator with a pursuing AT&T employee on another.
The man shed his jacket on the elevator so he was able to walk past the security guard and, initially, Roberts as he pulled up to the building, as the suspect walked past him.
The clothing description no longer matched, but Roberts noticed the man sweating so he asked from where he was coming. The man continued walking and Roberts, in his rear view mirror noticed the man glance back and start running.
After a chase, Johnny Doward, 46, of 27 Victory Drive, was arrested and charged with third-degree robbery, second-degree larceny, third-degree burglary, breach of peace and interfering with police.
Copyright 2011 - New Haven Register, Conn.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service